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I don't thing that things people have an emotional connection to should be sold while they are still alive

Paul Green of Saga

But Saga spokesman Paul Green said that the decision might have gone against the elderly man's best interests.

He said: "I imagine that losing the painting would make that person's stay in the care home more miserable.

"It could be very upsetting for the individual if they have an emotional or family connection to the picture, and the least the council could have done is ask for it not to be sold within their lifetime.

"It may be within the letter of the law, but the council could have showed some human spirit on this occasion."

He also said that the decision set a worrying precedent.

He said: "It must be a concern for people to face the possibility that the treasures they've built up over their lifetime could have to be sold to pay for care.

"I think this brings home how expensive private care is, and the trouble that individuals and local authorities have in paying for it.

"We're looking at a generation that is living longer and needs care that people may not have prepared for over their lifetimes.

"I think there has to be a distinction between things that have sentimental and emotional significance for someone and things that are just part of your possessions.

"This could mean selling someone's memories, which is deeply unpleasant.

"I don't thing that things people have an emotional connection to should be sold while they are still alive."

Last year, it emerged that more than one million homes have been sold by pensioners to pay for their care.

Another two million have been forced to use their savings to pay for care costs, which average £3,000 a month for a nursing home, and £2,000 for residential care.

Lucien Pissarro was an Impressionist landscape painter, who based himself in Britain in his later years.

He was the son of Camille Pissarro, a Danish-French Impressionist painter who mentored Cézanne and Gauguin.